There are various methods and devices employed by retail establishments to deter or prevent retail theft. One common approach is to affix a security device directly to a product. Such security devices employ some mode of anti-theft functionality. As one example, it is known to affix an RFID tag directly to a product. A gate is positioned at an exit point of the retail establishment. If the RFID passes through the gate without being deactivated, an alarm will sound. Such RFID tags are oftentimes a small tag with an adhesive back which is adhered directly to a product or its packaging.
However, some packaging does not readily allow for the use of such tags. Indeed, it is not uncommon to utilize shrink wrap on the exterior of a package. Such a packaging arrangement is provided at the source and thus the retail establishment must accommodate their security device to this packaging. Adhesive back RFID tags are not readily employed in such a configuration as they would need to be adhered to the shrink wrap, which can be easily removed in-store by a would be thief.
To address this, there are security devices which are referred to in the art as box wraps. Such box wraps include a central hub housing an anti-theft arrangement and a spool. A cable of fixed length is attached to the spool at both ends thereof. As a result, a loop of cable may be drawn from or taken up by the central hub. The loop is first enlarged and merchandise is passed through the loop. The loop is then taken up by the spool so that the cable is tightly wound around the merchandise such that the security device is effectively affixed to the merchandise. There is typically a locking mechanism within the central hub which prevents the loop from being enlarged again which would otherwise allow for the unwanted removal of the security device. Once activated, the device will sound an alarm if not deactivated, and or, if the device is tampered with, e.g. the cable loop is cut.
While such devices have proven to be effective, they are not without their drawbacks. For example, the loop of cable is a fixed dimension given that the ends of the cable forming the loop are fixedly attached within the central hub. As such, a given box wrap may only accommodate up to a maximum size of retail merchandise. If it is desired to employ such a device on a larger item of merchandise, a retailer must replace the entire security device, including the cable and the central hub, in favor of a device with a central hub and cable loop that can accommodate the larger merchandise.
Further, such box wrap style security devices are typically designed with two loops arranged perpendicular to one another, and are thus designed to accommodate only generally square or rectangular packaging. Yet further, the anti-theft componentry is contained within the central hub. If a retail establishment wishes to change their anti-theft methodology to something which is not compatible with the anti-theft componentry of their existing devices, their existing security devices are rendered entirely obsolete.
As such, there is a need in the art for a security device which can accommodate a broad range of retail packaging sizes rather than being limited to a maximum size of retail merchandise before it must be entirely replaced. There is also a need for a security device that can accommodate retail packaging of various shapes, and a device that is adaptable to differing anti-theft methodologies.
The invention provides such a security device. These and other advantages of the invention, as well as additional inventive features, will be apparent from the description of the invention provided herein.